Precedent

a.	1.	Going before; anterior; preceding; antecedent; as, precedent services. Condition precedent (Law) a condition which precede the vesting of an estate, or the accruing of a right.
n.	1.	Something done or said that may serve as an example to authorize a subsequent act of the same kind; an authoritative example. Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only. - Hooker.
	2.	A preceding circumstance or condition; an antecedent; hence, a prognostic; a token; a sign.
	3.	A rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy.
	4.	(Law) A judicial decision which serves as a rule for future determinations in similar or analogous cases; an authority to be followed in courts of justice; forms of proceeding to be followed in similar cases.

Noun	1.	precedent - an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time Synonyms: case in point
	2.	precedent - (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions Synonyms: common law, case law
	3.	precedent - a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws; "common law originated in the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States" Synonyms: case law, common law
	4.	precedent - a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time)
Adj.	1.	precedent - preceding in time, order, or significance

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